


At Your Mercy

by Misty_Shadow00



Category: Seduce Me (Visual Novel)
Genre: Abuse, Anxiety, Daddy Issues, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Probably lots of other stuff that I can't think to include, Romance, Trauma, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:54:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28560162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misty_Shadow00/pseuds/Misty_Shadow00
Summary: Mika Anderson, the main character of Seduce Me the Otome, with the exception of the demon boys, is the focus of most things. But what if things had happened just a little bit differently? This time Mika had a sister, a younger twin. A sister who actually survived being born and who managed to grow up in Mika's stead. What might happen if this one thing pushed David Anderson, their father, over the edge? What could happen when a girl who is slightly different meets the boys? One who has been through quite a bit more than Mika would have?Lets see.
Relationships: Damien Anderson | Izroul/Original Character(s), Damien Anderson | Izroul/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Seduce Me the Otome isn't mine, I am just having fun with it. This being my first fic I apologize if it isn't up to par. I am not the best writer and although I have done my best so far to make sure what I am writing isn't cringey or just plain bad, there is only so much I can do without more experience. With that said, I hope you enjoy!

She stared into space. Mrs. Philips’ voice droned on and on, a monotonous sound only barely registering as background noise. She felt as though the class had been going on forever, even though it had been less than an hour. Despite her need to maintain good grades, Mercy Anderson had other, more important things on her mind than an economics lecture.

Senior year was already halfway over. To Mercy though, that meant little to nothing. Her accomplishments, her grades, her life so far? Those were not going to change anytime soon.

_Even though I’ve worked so hard, it’s not like anything is going to change in college. No matter what I do it’s all just going to stay the same._

She laid her head down on her arms for a moment, tired, and tried to steer the conversation in her head to a different topic. Nothing good would come out of thinking about her future.

With nothing else to do, she stole a glance at the students around her, and eventually at her two friends. Mercy let a small smile creep onto her face, only for that smile to quickly disappear when the teacher startled her.

“Ms. Anderson, care to name the equation I have written up on the blackboard?” Mrs. Philips’ eyes peered down at her, kind but sharp. She had been caught. One quick look at the board though and the answer came quickly to mind.

“The Black-Scholes model formula.” A small sigh and a familiar nod came from Mrs. Philips. So long as she got the right answer there was nothing the teacher could do.

“Very good as always Ms. Anderson.”

 _Anderson. Always Anderson. Ms. Anderson this, Ms. Anderson that._ Mercy’s brows slightly furrowed in frustration. _At least the extra studying **he** makes me do has some purpose. _A friendly punch and a bright smile came from in front of her, dragging Mercy out of her thoughts.

“Kick ass, Mercy!”

 _Suzu._ _Always the same I see. Your fire just might get you in real trouble one day._ Mercy returned the smile and thought on her fiery friend’s actions. From beside her, another voice joined in, higher-pitched and accompanied by a pointed look.

“You mean good job, Suzu.”

“Sure, sure Naomi” Suzu exclaimed sarcastically and a bit too loudly.

_Uh oh, here comes that trouble._

“Ms. Cappini. I would appreciate it if you did not chat during class. Now, if you could tell me the creators of the formula on the board?”

“Uhhh” Mercy could see Suzu stumble over an answer for a couple moments until her eyes brightened and she confidently burst out, “Those guys Fish Black and Myron Scholes, right?” The teacher’s eyes widened.

“Fisher Black, but… yes. Good job Ms. Cappini.” Mrs. Philips said, her voice incredulous. Beside Mercy, Naomi could be seen with a proud, thousand-watt smile, while Suzu rubbed the back of her head in slight embarrassment at the attention.

_Man, Naomi looks happy. I guess that group study session she organized for us really did stick with Suzu._

The rest of class seemed to pass by Mercy much quicker and soon enough, the trio of friends were walking out of the classroom heading toward the cafeteria for lunch. As she exited close behind the two, Mercy could hear them… ‘discussing’ the not-yet-chosen name for their econ project.

“No way! Dragon Company is a WAY cooler name! And the spicy bubble gum? I can just taste it already!”

“But Suzuuuuu! Dragons have nothing to do with bubble gum! Trinity Corporations sounds much more mature and like the actual name of a company!” Both of them stood arms crossed just beyond the doorway, and seeing Mercy approaching, immediately dragged her along into their conversation.

“I bet Mercy agrees with Trinity Corporations, right?”

“No way! What do you really think?”

“Actually” She tentatively spoke, “I’m going to have to agree with Suzu this time. Even though Trinity Corporations sounds cool and mature, The Dragon Company would definitely attract younger customers. Plus, gum is something people often associate with younger people like teens, right?”

“Now that I think about it, yeah. I guess… with that reasoning I can go along with The Dragon Company this time. At least we have a name now, especially since this is due on Monday and that was the last thing we needed.” Naomi smiled, nodded, and then turned around to start towards the cafeteria.

Feeling a little confident, and wanting to tease Naomi a little, Mercy blurted out, “Plus I just think dragons are cool.” She could hear Naomi facepalm, while Suzu fist-pumped the air.

“YEAH! DRAGON COMPANY IT IS”

Mercy softly giggled, which in turn put soft smiles on her two friends’ faces.

“Come on, let’s go get some lunch before the good stuff is gone, yeah?” Suzu grabbed Mercy’s hand and ran off, leaving Naomi to run behind, yelling for the two to wait for her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Arriving, Suzu quickly headed for the furthermost table from the crowd of students, pulling along Mercy as was usual.

 _Thank god our normal table is empty. And far, far away from the crowd. Way too noisy with way too many people,_ Mercy thought.

Putting their stuff down, Suzu and Mercy sat and waited for Naomi to catch up, which only took a minute. Huffing and puffing, Naomi sat down and dropped her things, sending a small glare to Suzu.

“Every time? Really? You know, someday I’m going to be the one to grab her and run and YOU will have to be the one to play catch up!”

“Really Patterson? I’d like to see that” Suzu challenged.

Wanting to stop the impending argument between her two friends, Mercy quickly interjected.

“So, what are you two going to have today? I think they are having some student choice special.”

Mercy could see the cogs turning in their heads as they considered their options very seriously.

“Well, I’m going to have the Cajun fries and the spicy chicken burger, I bet missy Patterson here is gonna get something boring like the tuna.” Suzu yet again antagonized.

“Yea but at least MY mouth won’t be on fire! Just leave me, my tuna sandwich, and my juice alone!” The group burst into laughter. “What about you Mercy?” Naomi questioned.

“Probably just the Mac and Cheese and some juice. I might have to steal one of those fries from you though Suzu” Mercy smiled.

“Alright!” Suzu stood up. “We,” she motioned between herself and Mercy, “are gonna go get food and you,” She pointed to Naomi, “are going to be our bag guardian! Lines are short right now so we’ll be back quickly and you can get your icky tuna sandwich. Now ONWARD!” Suzu turned and marched towards the lines. Mercy turned and shrugged apologetically at Naomi and followed, taking a second to swiftly tug at the bottom of her jacket sleeves to ensure that they hadn’t rolled up in Suzu’s enthusiasm in dragging her there.

Soon enough, all three had food and were sitting down.

“So, what do we want to talk about?” Naomi inquired while Suzu seemed to shovel her spicy sandwich into her mouth.

“I duwnnftt knuwwff.”

“Suzu! Eat first, then talk! That’s considered rude!” Suzu swallowed the sandwich.

“Fine, fine…buzzkill.”

“I know!” Naomi exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “How about we talk abouuuut-“

“If you say boys, I might just punt you out the door.”

“But-“

“No.”

“But Suz-“

“No way.”

 _They really do fight like cats and dogs; I wonder which is which?_ Mercy mused.

“Alright fine Suzu, have it your way. How about we talk about- “The conversation turned to daily goings-on of classes, and things outside of school, with Mercy every once in a while jumping in.

“-and the cookies my mother baked last weekend were just so amazing! I’ll have to bring some for the both of you sometime! Maybe for our next study group?”

“Oh HELL yeah! Your mom makes the best cookies!” Suzu yelled out.

“I would love that, they were so good last time!” Mercy quietly added. Just as she was about to add something else the speakers in the cafeteria started to give an announcement.

“Ms. Anderson, please come to the main office immediately and bring all of your things.”

The trio exchanged a look.

_That can’t be good._

“Mercy, do you know what that’s about?” No. No she didn’t. The last time this happened her **father** took her out of school to attend a board meeting. It didn’t end well for her.

“No, I really don’t know.” She responded to Naomi. A worried look grew on all three of their faces. Mercy started grabbing her things, and before she could leave-

“Are you okay?”

“Yea Anderson, you good?”

… Mercy thought for a moment.

“I’ll be fine.” She wasn’t sure if that was a lie or not.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As it turns out, she wasn’t fine.


	2. The Funeral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naomi and Suzu are worried about Mercy. Meanwhile, Mercy is living her own personal hell.
> 
> *Abuse and maybe panic attack warning*  
> If you think this will trigger/bother you please be safe and maybe don't read this. Just be careful and take care of yourselves, okay?

Naomi sat back down from where she had been standing, watching one of her best friends leave.

“Do you think she’ll be okay Suzu? You know what happened the last time she was pulled out of class…” Naomi’s eyes lingered at the doorway where they last saw Mercy for a few moments and then turned to face Suzu, both faces solemn and serious. “You know she came back hurting and sad. She isn’t good at hiding it.”

Suzu stomped her foot angrily and clenched both fists.

“I know! I just...” She trailed off, looking sad. “I don’t like seeing her like that either. I really hope it’s nothing, like an appointment or something, but we both know that’s probably not it with his thing with her schooling and grades and shit.” Suzu’s face broadcasted the worry she had for her friend, which was mirrored by Naomi. Slowly, frustration and anger started to show on Suzu’s face once more.

“But I swear to god it better not be her STUPID dad doing something stupid again! GOD, I just wanna PUNCH that guy!” Suzu shook her head, and angrily pushed away her remaining food. “I didn’t even get to give her any of my spicy fries yet…”

Naomi put her hand over Suzu’s in a placating manner.

“For once Suzu, I agree, but it could just make things worse for her. I would suggest we tell someone or call the police but you know how things can get when people like him have money, power, and influence. We’ve almost graduated, and if we can convince her to stay with one of us after that, that’s even better. In the meantime, we just have to get her out of the house as often as we can and help her however we can, right?”

“I know, I just wish we could do more ya know?” Suzu, at this point, had her face down on the table, hand still being held by Naomi.

“Yeah, yeah I know.” Naomi replied. “So anyway, since she’s gone, as… terrible as that could be, we might as well talk about what to do next.”

“Huh?”

“Like- if something does happen, which we are desperately hoping that it doesn’t, what will we do to help? We both know the ‘study sessions’ I organize at my place she doesn’t need. You, maybe, but not her. She needs to relax and not have to worry and feel safe…” Naomi’s eyes turn down towards the table at this. She clenched her own fist tightly before looking back up at Suzu, who finally raised her head from the table. “Let’s make sure to text her later today and see if she’s okay, and in the meantime, I’ll plan to make her cookies with my mom this weekend and look up some calming or stress-relieving things I can make her do with me. I can pass it off as me asking for help with my stress. I can also plan another study session soon if it’s really bad, though if we do that too often her dad may start to think that they are actually sleepovers, even if Mercy doesn’t really know that.”

“Totally Patterson, great thinking. I’ll do distraction duty if she starts to get too quiet, you know I’m no good at cooking or those relaxation methods you come up with.”

“Sounds good.” Both were quiet for a moment, tension from the situation their friend may be in and their discussion making further conversation difficult. Then the bell rang, and life had to continue on.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mercy was far from fine. Not even close. Rain, which had been light that morning turned to a downpour, with thunder booming deeply in the distance. The moment she had reached the main office she had been grabbed by her father and led to the car with no explanation. She did not speak while he drove, though her mother mindlessly chatted with him as if nothing was off, as if nothing was **wrong**. Only when they arrived at their destination did he tell her that her grandfather was dead, and this was the funeral.

She was grateful her mother had even considered bringing her an umbrella, though she partially wished she hadn’t, if only so she could hide her tears. Eulogies came and went, people sobbed all around her, and all the while her **father** stood there with his condescending glare, tapping his foot in impatience. To her, it seemed as though days had passed until finally, the speeches ended.

Mercy stared at the wet grass, confused and in pain, until just the three of them were ushered up closer for the will reading. Standing a few feet away from her parents, Mercy took a deep breath, looked at the tombstone, and tried her best to prepare herself. Grandfather’s lawyer looked at them and started to speak.

“Now, I shall read Harold Anderson’s last will and testament.” Various things had already been given to people outside of the family, such as money, specific possessions, and stocks. As this was told to the three the frustration on Mercy’s father’s face only increased. After a few minutes of reading, the last things were being called out, and David Anderson’s name was not among those receiving anything from his father. He was obviously incensed. But nothing angered him more than the last line the lawyer read out.

“…and to my dearest granddaughter, I give my estate. All the furniture and decor within the house shall also be given to my granddaughter.”

David Anderson’s face went red, and Mercy immediately shrunk into herself, despite the shock of being given the family estate.

_The family estate? Me? Oh grandpa…why did you have to go? Why did you have to leave me all alone?_

Tears once again started to form in Mercy’s eyes.

“Her?!” Her father’s voice boomed out. “He gave the estate to her of all people?! The nerve of that old bastard!” Her mother stood by, with an apathetic look on her face. Her father looked back to the lawyer. “He at least gave me the CEO and Chairman position, right?” He dragged out the last word in a manner that made him sound extra threatening. “What of the future of the Anderson Toys Company?”

“No. I’m sorry sir, the vice-chairman will be taking up that position.”

“Stubborn old bastard. Couldn’t even give his son a legacy.” He shook his head and balled up his fists in anger. “Come on. We’re leaving” He spit out harshly. Mercy simply nodded and followed back to the car.

Once inside, he started talking again. “We’re sending you to live at that estate. No complaints, not a word about it. It’s final. If Harold,” he spits out the name menacingly, “thinks that you deserve the family estate, you can stay there alone where you can no longer be a nuisance. The less I have to see of you the better. Additionally, I expect you to deal with any problems that arise yourself. Don’t bother asking for help, you won’t get any.” He glares and mumbles under his breath, just loud enough for Mercy to hear. “It should have been your sister.” Her heart sinks and Mercy wished she could melt into the seat of the car and become invisible.

Her mother put on a smile as if nothing had happened, and simply said, “David honey, I know how much you love pasta, I planned on making some for supper, how about that!”

Mercy put her head down and silently cried.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The minute they walked through the door it all started up again.

“Finally,” her father said, “we can take off those black clothes, I can’t believe we had to disrupt our day for that.”

 _How dare he! Grandpa, his **father** just died today and all he cares about is that it messed up his schedule?? _She balls up her fists. _He doesn’t even care, does he? Not about me, not about Grandpa, just about his stupid CEO position!_

At this point, Mercy was boiling inside. She was sad, mourning, afraid, and oh so angry. Not often does she stand up against her father, and for good reason; however, her anger was simply too great. She burst.

“Is that what you really think? You think so lowly of Grandpa? That his death only matters in that it disrupts your day?!” She immediately regretted it. Mercy could see hatred burning in his eyes. She immediately backed away but wasn’t fast enough. Grabbing her arm hard enough to bruise, he dragged her to the base of the stairs and pulled her towards the wall. Hitting the wall, Mercy simply stood there, knowing that the sooner she complied the sooner it would be over.

**Smack.**

He backhanded her with his ring on.

“Now you listen to me you ungrateful little shit. I house you, I pay for you to live, and you go and disrespect me in my house, under my roof?!” He gets so close while he yells that she can feel his breath.

She can also feel blood start to fall out of the cut caused by his ring.

“Now you listen to me. You are going to live in that house. You are not going to bother me unless it regards the company. You are going to graduate college with a business degree, and take over the company for me. You will not complain, and you will continue to pretend to be the perfect child I know you are not. Got it? We both know you shouldn’t have been the one to survive. You **killed** ,” he growled and grabbed her hair, pulling it up so their eyes met, “my beautiful little angel Mika. You will do as I say, when I say it.” He let go, turned around, and walked off.

Mercy ran upstairs and locked the door behind her. She knew no one would come up to talk to her after that, not her mother and especially not her father. Sinking down against the door, she again started to sob. Her thoughts started to spiral.

_Why did you have to **leave** me? Why is he like this? Why can I **never be good enough**? Why me and not Mika? Why why **why** why **wh** ywhyw **hywhy?**_

Small hiccups in her breath turned into hyperventilation, and Mercy spent the next few minutes on the floor of her room, back to her locked door, curled up into a ball. Questioning why. Eventually, when she had no more tears to cry, steady breath, and no more energy to question anything anymore, she stood up and started to pack her things. With shaky legs, she grabbed as many bags as she could and started shoving all of her clothes, toiletries, and personal items into them. In the end, all she owned fit into enough bags that she could carry on her own.

A small ding from her phone brought her out of her packing fit. Multiple texts from both Naomi and Suzu filled her screen, all showcasing their worry for her. Mercy sat down on her bed, looked at the time, which read 8:00, and decided to just group call them. They immediately picked up.

“Anderson? Are you okay, what happened? We’ve been texting for hours, we were worried!”

“Yea Mercy, are you okay? Why were you taken out of school?”

Surprisingly, she didn’t mind the bombardment of questions. Taking in a breath, she responded in a rough voice which betrayed her many tears.

“Guys, grandpa died today, dad took me to his funeral.” Another sob broke out, and the waterworks started once more. Mercy described the funeral, sans her father’s more violent behavior; however, Naomi and Suzu still knew that couldn’t have been the whole story.

“-and when his will was read, he gave me the family estate-“ Suzu then interjected.

“Wait what? The estate? Really? Wow… oh wait shit sorry please continue.” Mercy gave a dry laugh.

“No, no it’s alright.” She cleared her throat. “Dad actually… is sending me to live there tomorrow. After school.”

Naomi’s soft voice broke through the phone.

“I can’t begin to imagine what you’re feeling right now… I’m so sorry that this happened. Do you want us to come over? Do you want to come over here? Is there anything we can do to help?”

“Thanks, guys…” Mercy’s voice cracked, “But dad isn’t in a good mood. I’ve finished packing already so… can we just keep talking? Please?” She got quieter and her voice petered out at the last word, betraying her desperation for something, for anything from her friends to distract her.

“Of course, Anderson, whatever you want, we’re always here for you. We can’t be the Triple Threat Trio without you!”

 _Leave it to Suzu and Naomi to make me feel better already. Hah, god am I glad I have them._ A chuckle broke out of Mercy.

“Hey, Mercy?” Suzu spoke once more. “Do you mind if we make this a video call, I just wanna make sure you’re okay…”

_Shit. Ok, okay, it’s fine I can come up with something can’t I? Alright, umm, okay got it: when I found out I collapsed from the shock and hit my head on something, that would explain both the bruise and the cut._

“Sure...”

Video quickly popped up of Suzu laying in a dramatic pose on her bed, surrounded with comics and video games. Naomi was sitting at a desk, everything around her organized, drinking a cup of tea. Mercy was now sitting on her bed, holding up her phone so her face could be seen. A gasp escaped both of her friends.

“What happened? That looks like a nasty cut!” Naomi exclaimed, and before Suzu could jump in Mercy spoke.

“Calm down guys, it’s just a small bump. When...” She took in a deep breath and gathered herself. “When I found out about grandpa I kinda… fell down and hit something. I don’t have a concussion or anything it just stings a little bit. It’s not as bad as it looks.”

If this was in person, Mercy was sure the two would be exchanging a look. As it was, they just sighed and the worry on their faces increased.

“Well alright… make sure you patch yourself up though Anderson! Or else you’ll be on the other end of my fury tomorrow!”

“Alright, alright Suzu.” Mercy let out a small smile. “Actually, if you don’t mind me putting you guys down, I’ll do that right now.” Mercy placed her phone down on the bed, hearing both of her friends shouting comically to just go and do it already, and not to worry. Mercy once again chuckled and walked to the nearby bathroom.

Grabbing the first aid kit, she ruffled through to find what she needed. She cleaned and disinfected the wound and taped some gauze on it, forgoing using an ice pack for the bruise. She also quickly washed her face, trying to get rid of the many dried tears. She walked back into the room.

“Alright guys,” Mercy put on a fake smile, posed, and showed her face, “Are my medical skills up to par?”

“You look sexy to me Anderson! Ten outta ten!”

“Suzu! But yes, you look good, even if I don’t like that you’re hurt in the first place.” They all smiled, even if it was obvious to all three that those smiles were strained. The conversation continued, topics came and went, and eventually, the trio realized just how late it was.

“Wow,” Suzu yawned, “it sure is late. Are you gonna need help bringing your stuff to the new house Anderson?”

“Nah,” Mercy replied sleepily, “I don’t even know, I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.”

_He didn’t even tell me before… **that** happened and I ran up here._

More yawns echoed from the phone.

“Alright both of you, all of us need a good amount of sleep to properly function at school tomorrow! So get to bed!” Naomi stated firmly.

“Yes, mom.” Suzu and Mercy flatly echoed. And so they did. Shortly after ending the call, all three succumbed to the pull of sleep, some more restlessly than others. Naomi twisted and turned in bed, mind racing with worry and feelings of inadequacy over her ability to help her friend. Suzu turned to her video games for a distraction, playing round after round until passing out. Mercy though, with the emotional nature of her day and the events of the evening, was out like a light. Not a dream to be seen… and perhaps that was a good thing.


	3. The Estate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After last night's ordeal, Mercy heads off to school and struggles to keep herself together before the inevitable move.

Mercy woke up to the loud, blaring sound of her alarm going off. She sleepily blinked open her eyes. The morning light just barely peeked in through the curtains, and she had somehow managed to entangle herself in her blankets. After twisting and turning for what seemed like ages in her sleep-addled brain, she finally removed the bundle of blankets and sheets that had previously engulfed her and looked at the time, 7:00.

Groaning, she stood up and shuffled over to her closet to dress for the day. It was only when she opened it to find it empty that the reality of yesterday’s events hit her.

_Oh yeah, it’s all packed. I have to move today…_ She frowned. _Shit, now I’ve gotta go through it all again to find clothes for today._

She felt heavy, both physically and in her heart as she quickly took out clothes and repacked. Her normal routine held a tone of finality and she was unsure if she was looking forward to living somewhere else, away from her parents, or worried about what could happen living alone with no help. Tears started to form in her eyes as she thought about her soon-to-be exile to what used to be the bright and cheery home of her grandfather. She brought her hand up to her face to wipe away her tears, only to jerk her hand back in pain as it brushed past her cheek.

_Yikes. I’m not sure I even want to know how bad it is, with how much that hurt._

She quickly dressed and walked to the bathroom where she could finish her routine and look at the damage on her face.

Staring back at her in the mirror was a large, fist-sized, purple and blue splotch that spread from her lower jaw to her cheekbone. The gauze band-aid, which was already of considerable size for her face, was dwarfed by the bruise. Grabbing the first aid kit, she set about replacing the band-aid and taking care of the bruise.

Peeling back the gauze, she got a good view of the cut. It was fairly shallow but spread from the edge of her face to halfway across her cheek.

_Thankfully it’s not infected this time. I hope I can keep it that way._

Mercy quickly replaced the gauze, using a larger square to cover up more of the bruise. With a couple of adjustments, the bruise was almost unnoticeable. She would only need to explain that she had a cut or a scrape.

As she finished in the bathroom, her stomach made a whale-like sound, reminding her that she had not had dinner last night. She placed her hands on her stomach in an attempt to quell the noise. Opening the bathroom door a sliver, she made sure no one was in the hallway and silently slipped back into her room.

She checked the time again, it was 7:30. Half an hour before classes started. Taking her time, she searched through her school bag, wanting nothing less than to go downstairs. She really didn’t want to enrage her father anymore after last night.

_There’s gotta be something in here… I remember putting- AH! Here we go!_

She held a handful of granola bars and immediately opened up one.

With her hunger sated, and granola wrappers littering the floor, she took to throwing them away and arranging her bags for moving. Afterward, all she could do was look around. She turned in slow circles as she looked at the only home she had ever known, even if it didn’t always feel like a home. It was as if she had never been there in the first place. Just as both her mother and her father had always wanted.

_I have to keep it together. If only for today. It’s Friday, once I get to grandpa’s- no. My house… I can break down as much as I need to._

Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she grabbed her school bag and started down the stairs. She could hear every creak of the steps as her foot came down on them. It sounded as if bombs were going off. She crept slowly down until she reached the bottom.

Already she could see her father, sitting in the living room armchair, a cup of what she assumed to be coffee in his hand. She slowly walked to stand in the living room, in his view.

“So, you’re heading to school?” He said in a calm voice, one that to a stranger would give the impression that nothing could possibly be wrong.

“Yes, I am.” Mercy lowered her head and avoided eye contact.

“I expect you to excel today. Anything less than that is unacceptable, and you know what happens when you fail. Right?”

Mercy nodded sharply.

“You will also be moving to the estate after school. I will drive you, but that will be the last courtesy I will extend to you.” The disdain in his voice was palpable.

“Yes, father.” She kept her head down.

“Leave.”

She did.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The bus was bumpy, but it wasn’t all that bad. It was much better than walking. Being jostled a bit and having to deal with the loudness and the oh-so-overwhelming crowd was better than being driven by one of her parents, and better than taking any chance of getting punished by them for being late to school because she chose to walk.

Reaching the school with time to spare, Mercy quickly found her locker and put all that she could away. And that was when it started. The whispers. She knew they knew; she just didn’t know how overt they were going to be about it. She tried to block out the noise as best she could by just ignoring them, but there was only so much she could ignore. The attention, the noise, the crowd of people, it all started to get too overwhelming.

They all knew her grandfather, he was famous for his company and his toys. They all knew she was his granddaughter, an **Anderson**. Everyone already knew he was dead. She could hear them all talking about it. About **her**.

Mercy spun around, trying to find an exit or a place she could hide. Somewhere away from the hallway crowded with people. She was **suffocating**.

Her breath quickened.

She swiveled her head around once more, looking for an escape. An escape from the eyes watching her, whispering about her.

_It’s too much. It’s all too much. I can’t. I can’t-_

Someone is touching her arm.

**Panic.**

She spun around, ready to pull her arm away to cover her face when-

_It’s Suzu?_

“You okay Anderson?”

She flinched at the name. All she could hear was the unspoken Harold, or David, or **Mika**.

Suzu’s voice turned softer than Mercy had ever heard.

“Okay, you’re not okay, follow me, we can get you somewhere quieter.” Suzu grabbed her hand gently and started pulling her along into an unused classroom. She then turned to look at Mercy.

“Okay, okay, umm,” She stalled for a second and murmured underneath her breath, “Damn, I’m not as good at this as Naomi is…” She pulled Mercy over to the closest desk and motioned her to sit down. “Alright Mercy, are you better in here? I know it was a bit overwhelming out there, what with all those assholes mobbing you.”

Seconds passed and Mercy didn’t say a word. She had screwed her eyes shut and was trying to breathe evenly. She put her hands up to her head and leaned down on them.

_C’mon, don’t freak out in front of Suzu! All I wanted was to get through today and then I could panic all I needed to, but the first thing I go and do when I get here is this? Alright, remember what Naomi said that one time. Breathe in for four seconds… Hold for seven…Out for eight._

A couple of minutes of silence on Susu’s part and concentrated breathing on Mercy’s, and Mercy could look up at Suzu once more.

“I’m… sorry about that Suzu, you shouldn’t have to deal with me when I’m like that. I guess I just panicked and… and they were talking about grandpa and there were just so many people-“

“It’s fine, Mercy. I get it. It just happened yesterday, you’re bound to be sad and on edge. They shouldn’t have done that. If it were up to me they would all be KO’ed!” Suzu brought her fist up into the air comically, obviously trying to lighten the mood. She looked down at Mercy, who was now sitting at the desk normally, looking up at Suzu.

“Anyway,” Suzu paused a moment, “Do you need me to get Naomi? A teacher maybe? I bet you could sit in the nurse’s office or in with the school counselor if you don’t feel like you’re ready for class…”

Mercy’s eyes widened in fear at the thought of telling a teacher or the counselor about this.

That was not an option.

_The little Anderson ‘heiress,’_ Mercy thought to herself, _must be perfect after all._

“No, no… I think after your help I’m fine Suzu, it was just a little overwhelming that’s all!” Mercy put on her most convincing smile. Suzu looked her up and down, as if analyzing her truthfulness and whether or not she was actually okay.

“Well…if you’re sure.” Suzu still sounded hesitant.

“I’ll be fine, and hey, if we get to class fast enough we might just be able to catch Naomi before it starts.” Mercy stood up and started out the door. “But you would have to catch me first!” She took one second to look at Suzu, smirked, and then sprinted off.

Throughout the halls, shouting could be heard.

“Damn it Anderson that’s my bit!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Classes were much the same. Whispers followed Mercy wherever she went; however, both friends made it their goal to distract Mercy and avoid as many bystanders as possible, especially after Suzu managed to whisper this morning’s event into Naomi’s ear without Mercy hearing.

Despite their best efforts, there were still many who walked up to Mercy to give their condolences. Though they had good intentions, the two girls could see the light in their friend’s eyes dull a bit every time her grandfather was mentioned. Aside from that though, everything was going fine, it was even a fairly peaceful and easy day. None of them had homework, there were no tests, and even the school queen bee and bully Lisette White was avoiding them, which was surprising considering Lisette’s track record of going after the trio.

A small mention of this between the three spurred a new conversation.

“Yeah, now that you mention it where even is Lisette? Normally she would be insulting my family or yours Patterson. I don’t even know what she’s got against you Ander- “Suzu saw Mercy flinch and quickly changed course, “-Mercy. You’re like the nicest person ever!”

All three were equally confused for a few moments.

“Yes, she and her whole friend group have all been leaving us alone for a while now… I don’t think I’ve even seen her in class!” Naomi exclaimed. “Obviously I don’t condone bullies but I still hope nothing bad has happened…”

“You hope nothing overly bad happens you mean.” Suzu gave a smug look at Naomi, who turned red.

“N-no! Of course not!”

“You stuttered!” Suzu sang out.

Mercy thought about the last time she had even seen Lisette. It had been over a week ago, and after class had ended Lisette had cornered the three of them for a typical insult-session. Just as she was about to think further on the topic, a voice rang out from behind them. They all spun around and squeaked in surprise.

“Mrs. Philips?!?” The trio squawked in unison.

“I’m sorry, I just managed to overhear you three. I think I can shed some light on where your former classmate has been.”

_Former?_

“A few other teachers and I had started to notice… unbecoming behavior from Ms. White and her friends. It started with a couple of other students filing complaints about harassment and bullying, which in this school is mandatory to investigate. We take bullying very seriously here, there is a no-tolerance policy.”

All three of the girls looked at each other in disbelief.

“Now, I have noticed for a while that her behavior is especially targeted at you three for whatever reason. Until recently, it had seemed as though you simply didn’t get along. It wasn’t until she was caught by a teacher verbally abusing and striking another student that all of her actions came to light. She has been expelled and all others involved in her bullying have been suspended.”

“Holy Shit…”

“Language Ms. Cappini!”

“Sorry, Teach.”

The two remaining friends were gawking at this new information.

“You mean to say, Mrs. Philips, that Lisette won’t be here anymore? I didn’t know this school had such a policy for bullying!” Naomi was desperately trying to downplay her delight about the situation.

“Yes, Ms. Patterson. It is unusual though that a case of bullying like this has been left unchecked for so long, it seems as though the faculty may need more training on situations like this. For that, and not noticing the situation you were in earlier, you three have my apologies. Though I do ask that next time, you simply tell one of us. While we do want to do our best in creating a safe and comfortable learning environment for all students, we can only know certain things if you actually tell us.” At the end, the teacher’s voice was light and a little playful. Suzu was visibly overjoyed.

“YES! No more queen bee!” That outburst got her a stern look from Mrs. Philips.

“I think I can forgive the outburst this time Ms. Cappini, just don’t do it often.”

“Aye aye teach!”

Mrs. Philips started to turn around, presumably back to her classroom, when a thought struck her.

“Sorry, I just have one more thing to address.” She looked directly at Mercy, eyes drifting to the gauze as she did, then looking away as if deciding not to bring it up. “Ms. Anderson, my condolences for your loss. Your grandfather was a wonderful man, and he will be remembered fondly for all the joy and happiness he has spread throughout the years.”

Mercy looked down, thankful but sad.

“Thank you, Ms. Philips.”

As the teacher walked away it was as though a small weight had lifted from her chest. One problem was gone. Being at school, aside from worry over grades, was now safe. They all grinned.

“You know what this means?” Naomi said as she looked directly at Mercy. “That’s one big good thing to happen today! And for Monday and the next day, and so on!” they all giggled.

“Yeah,” Mercy said, looking up at the blinding fluorescent lights. “You know what? Yeah, that is one good thing to happen today…” She smiled, and for the first time that day, it was one-hundred percent genuine.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lunch came and went, and so did the stares. By the second half of the day, no one really cared anymore. Smiles were coming easier to Mercy now that she wasn’t constantly anxious about the numerous people around her. In a high school full of teenagers, famous businessman and creator Harold Anderson’s death was old news within hours. And for once, Mercy was alright with that.

She had managed to pull through, though still sad and in pain, both physically and emotionally, she had made it. Only one more thing to do today. The bell had already rung, backpacks were grabbed, and ‘see you later’ s were given.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay, moving into that house on your own? You know we’re always here to help if you need it.” Naomi said worriedly.

“Yeah! If you want, we can totally hang out and help, or you could stay with us if you get too uncomfortable there alone! Right, Patterson?” She got a nod and a smile from Naomi.

“Guys, guys,” Mercy moved her arms in a ‘calm down’ motion while being careful not to lift her jacket sleeves and reveal the motley of bruises on her forearms. “I’ll be totally fine, I think…” She paused a moment and looked down, “I think I need the weekend alone, just to get acclimated and stuff. Though, I will text still. I just… I think I still need some time to... to process everything…”

A hand came into view slowly, as if making sure not to startle, and landed on her shoulder.

“Whatever you need, Mercy. If you want me to come over and bring video games, movies, and snacks just say the word and I’m there!”

“The same goes for me, Mercy. If you need help with anything, or just want company, tell me. I can bring over some of my cookies and we can have a girls’ night, with facemasks, and pillow-forts, and all that fun stuff.” Naomi looked very excited at the thought of pillow-forts in the Anderson estate.

Mercy giggled, and the smiles on Suzu and Naomi’s faces softened.

“You guyyyys!” Mercy whined. “You’re gonna make me cry! As if I haven’t done enough of that lately… It’s not like I’m changing schools or anything!” Mercy’s eyes glistened with unspilled tears. And then she noticed the familiar blue car pull up beside her.

Her face immediately turned neutral.

“Sorry guys, my ride is here. I’ll talk to you later!” Mercy let out a small smile and then turned to walk towards the car, hearing her friends say goodbye from behind. What she didn’t hear was the worried whisperings of her friends, trying to figure out just how ‘okay’ their friend actually was. Opening the door to the car, Mercy got in as quickly and quietly as she could. Without even looking she knew her father’s face was neutral. Neither angry nor happy. Just as it always was, outside of the times when things got bad.

Not a word was spoken the whole drive home. The only break in the silence was when the car was parked in the driveway of their home.

“You have three minutes.”

She went as fast as she could without running. Gathering her bags, she lugged them down the stairs all at once and got back out to the car just as the three minutes were up. She didn’t even take the time to say goodbye to the home, thankfully she had done that this morning. Everything she valued was already either in her bags or at their two own homes watching video games and making cookies.

He almost looked disappointed that he couldn’t fault her for anything. He silently got back into the car and waited for her to load the trunk with her things. The drive was short, and all Mercy could do was look out the window as the scenery passed by.

Minutes dragged on into what seemed like hours, and the silence was never-ending. Mercy was still thankful for it though. It meant that there was no yelling.

_It’s been a while since I’ve actually been here._ Mercy thought as the car drove down the driveway. _I wonder how he even managed to live alone like this, in such a big house?_ Her mood dampened.

Finally, the car came to a stop. A single movement on her father’s part and the trunk was popped open. He turned to her, eyes staring into her very soul. With enough venom to make even the most hardened criminal cry, he thrust a key into her hand and spoke two simple words.

“Get out.”

She practically threw the door open and quickly grabbed her things. The further away from him she could get, the better.

The second the trunk was closed, the car sped off. And Mercy stood there. Bags in her hands. Truly alone for what seemed like the first time. Responsible for the upkeep of herself and of an entire estate, alongside schooling and whatever else her father wanted her to do.

_I’m… alone? He left that quickly? No. Of course he left that quickly, there’s no reason for him to stay._

Seeing the house in person for the first time in a while was daunting. The size and grandeur of it intimidated her; however, there was nothing else to do but push forward. She couldn’t stay standing in the driveway with her bags forever.

_Here goes nothing…_

She turned over the skeleton key in her hand.

_What kind of a house still uses a skeleton key anyway? It does look kind of cool though…_

She shook her head, pushing away the distraction.

She put the key in, turned it, and opened the door.

**Blood?**


	4. Incubi?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy meets five strangers who were bleeding out from gunshot wounds on her foyer floor. They.... aren't human?
> 
> *Descriptions of blood ahead*

There was blood on the floor of her grandfather’s house. The crimson red of it burned into her eyes. She froze. All she could do was stare. Five bodies were on the floor of the foyer, all surrounded in that awful crimson.

None of them were moving.

The bags dropped from her now-shaking hands. Panic rose in her, coupled with fear. She had to do something… She couldn’t just do nothing.

_I should probably see if they’re still breathing right? That’s important… Oh god, what do I do I wasn’t trained for this! Should I call the police? Is that what people do in situations like this? Wait- one of them is moving!_

Shaky legs brought her closer and she kneeled down near the one that had moved.

“Are- are you okay? What happened? Do you need me to call an ambulance?” Her voice trembled as she spoke.

_Oh god is that a bullet wound? Just who are these guys? What do I do? Why are they here?_

She could see the strange man’s eyes flutter open. Bright green stared back up at her, almost in confusion. In the blink of an eye, the man sat up. Much faster than he should have been able to, even if he hadn’t been shot.

“Woman,” he lightly growled, “You’re going to let me kiss you.”

An immediate sensation of serenity and calm washed over her. She could even feel her hands stop shaking. A strong feeling started to burn in her chest, pushing her to accept, even as her mind strongly refused.

_What’s going on? I can’t think straight! Who is this guy and why does he want to kiss me? I don’t know him and he’s been shot!_

She could feel her head nod and it was as if she was an outsider in her own body, watching someone else control her like a puppet. His hand came up to grasp her chin, both of them still sitting in the middle of the foyer surrounded by unconscious bodies and blood. As soon as he did this, she could feel her body become weak. She could feel some sort of energy drain.

The strange man leaned in closer to her face, and just as he was about to kiss her-

“Sam. Stop it.” Not five feet away from her she could hear another voice.

 _Huh, so I guess there’s at least one more that isn’t dead._ Mercy thought in a daze.

The green-eyed man, ‘Sam’, turned around to look at the other stranger. After a few seconds, he released her chin. She could immediately feel the difference. Her mind cleared and the strange feeling was gone.

_What the fuck was that? How are these two even alive?_

She took a quick look around to see all five of the strangers awake, starting to sit or stand up. Groans escaped more than one of them.

_How are all of them alive? Who are these guys? Why are they here?_

Mercy’s self-preservation finally kicked in. She quickly stood up and backed away a few feet. From here she could see all five of them. The one who had stopped ‘Sam’ was dressed sharply in some sort of a suit. He had black hair, glasses, and piercing golden eyes. This new man stood up and faced her.

“Please forgive my brother miss, he’s a bit reckless…” He gave a stern look towards Sam.

Sam shoved his hands in his pockets. Annoyance and a small amount of anger colored his face.

“At least I feel a little bit better than you right now. I would have been even better if you hadn’t stopped me!”

This time the golden-eyed man replied in a harsher tone.

“You used your abilities on her!”

From the corner of her vision, she could see another man stand. This one was also well-dressed, this time in shades of red and pink. This one was ginger with… purple eyes?

Her mind went blank.

“Sam, you reckless brute, you almost took advantage of this beautiful young woman!”

 _Huh?_ Mercy could only silently watch the conversation taking place.

This statement seemed to aggravate Sam. His brows furrowed in anger and he took a threatening step towards the one who had spoken before yelling out at him.

“Shut that pretty boy mouth of yours before I rip it off your pretty boy face!”

Mercy flinched at the yelling and took a few more steps back. She started to tremble again.

_Just what have I gotten into? Abilities? People with gold and purple eyes? What…?_

A new face interrupted. This man was smaller with blue eyes and fairly normal clothing compared to the two before him.

“Guys,” he let out a yawn, “can we not do this right now? None of us are really in the best state…”

“I guess you are right, Matthew…” The one in pink said.

“I agree.” The golden-eyed one affirmed.

A softer hum of what seemed to be agreement came from the last of the group, another ginger with purple eyes. All five of them now stood before her, talking amongst themselves as if she wasn’t even there. As if they hadn’t just been bleeding out from bullet wounds on the floor.

Mercy looked back and forth between the five and the puddles of blood.

“What’s going on?!” Mercy cried out. All five sets of eyes immediately turned to her. “What-… How-…Why…?” She struggled to get the words out and looked down at the floor in front of her for a moment, extremely scared and confused.

The second one to speak took a step forward, and in a calm voice, spoke.

“I believe I can help with your questions miss” He sighed and looked at the other four for a moment, then back to Mercy.

“Miss, please forgive us and our intrusion. We didn’t know this abode belonged to anyone, nor did we have the time to take that into consideration…” He paused, and Mercy waited for him to continue. “We wouldn’t have intruded if we weren’t as wounded as we are currently…” He looked to the side for a moment. “We just escaped a deadly fight that could have ended our lives. Luckily for us, your home was here and the windows were unlocked, so we came inside.”

_A deadly fight? That explains the wounds, but how are they still all standing?! They probably need medical help, especially if some of them have been shot!_

Mercy mustered up the courage to speak.

“Do- do you need me to call anyone for you? I mean…” She got quiet and stared back at the blood. “You just said you were in a deadly fight and you guys were just bleeding out…”

The one in blue rubbed the back of his neck and spoke to the others.

“How do we even explain this?”

The pink one jumped in.

“Well, lovely lady,” His voice was like silk, “It’s a little difficult to explain… We’re not exactly what you would call… normal.”

 _Not normal? Like they’re in the mafia or a gang or have powers or something?_ Mercy thought back to the strange sensation from when Sam had tried to kiss her. She then looked up at the one in pink.

“What do you mean by not normal? How could you not need medical assistance for being shot?” She tried to keep her voice calm but it still trembled.

He looked at the others, eyes pleading for some assistance with her question. The golden-eyed one sighed, and responded to the plea.

“We’re Incubi miss, we aren’t human. We are demons who consume and use the sexual energy of humans to survive.”

_Well, that’s concerning._

Mercy mulled his words over in her mind as calmly as she could; however, it was still world-shattering information. Strangely enough, she believed him. There was no way she would nod and agree to that kiss. Especially since it would have been her first. She had also seen Sam get up way too quickly for a human. Plus, there was the fact that they were apparently shot at and weren’t dead yet.

Mercy took in a deep breath and tried to process the information.

“Did you even hear him?” came from Sam.

“We’re telling the truth.” Spoke the one in pink seconds after.

It was a surprise when the quieter ginger spoke up. His voice was soft, and he sounded shocked.

“She already believes us…”

Though confused as to how he knew that, she shook it off as her face betraying her thoughts. Now, Mercy was trying to rationalize this new information into her worldview. There were people other than humans out there. At a minimum, there were Incubi and probably other demons, and five of them were right in front of her.

Her mind filled with questions and concerns about the beings in front of her. They had not hurt her so far, aside from the attempted stolen kiss. One had even apologized for intruding!

“So…” She trailed off.

“Ah!” The golden-eyed one interjected. “Where are our manners. My name is James, this is Eric, Sam, Matthew, and Damien, my brothers.” He pointed at them in turn. Although Mercy was still frightened, she was glad to have names to put to faces.

Mercy looked at all of them, and they stared back at her. She still didn’t know what to do. Still in shock from the entire situation, she decided to introduce herself. It was the polite thing to do, right?

“My name is Mercy, Mercy Anderson. Nice to meet you all…”

“A lovely name that is Miss.” James responded. She could vaguely hear Eric agreeing.

Mercy’s head began to spin once more. She had so many questions. After everything that had happened in the last couple of days, she was extremely overwhelmed. She felt almost dizzy with confusion, worry, fear, and a plethora of other emotions.

No, she was actually quite dizzy. She put a hand to her head and stumbled backward as her legs started to weaken and give out. In the split second before her vision went black, she could see Damien’s eyes widen. She could also hear the concerned voices of the five demons in her house as she collapsed onto the floor.  
  
Then, all she knew was black.

“Shit. She fainted.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mercy woke up in an unfamiliar place. The bedsheets were silky, and the walls were the wrong color for her to be in her room back home.

 _Home…_ Mercy thought. Then she remembered everything. Her father, the move, and… _the Incubi?_

Mercy looked around the room, seeing through the window that it was night, rather than mid-afternoon when she first arrived. Continuing her scan of the room, she realized she wasn’t alone.

“You’re awake.” She heard from beside her. She jumped a little, sat up, and immediately turned towards the sound. It was Damien, the quiet brother. She was still a little wary but forced herself to relax a bit.

“Yeah…” She looked up at him.

“That’s good.” He smiled down at her, making Mercy blush a little.

_Wow, maybe I was too scared to notice before, but he’s really pretty._

She heard him chuckle a little bit.

Taking in the situation a little more, Mercy pulled the blankets off of her and moved to stand.

“Woah, wait a moment,” Damien held his hands out as if to stop her, while not quite touching her, “Just stay sitting for a moment, you’ve had a bit of a scare and you should take it easy for a while.” Just as he said this, Mercy could feel that her legs still felt incredibly weak, her whole body actually. Despite having passed out until the sky turned dark, she felt drained in a way. Not quite tired and ready to sleep, but drained none the less. She stopped her attempt at standing.

“Alright, good…” Damien stood in front of her, concern on his face. Seeing Mercy’s inquisitive look, he continued speaking. “I’m not going to use my powers on you, I think you should know that.”

Mercy visibly relaxed and nodded at him.

“Thanks…” She trailed off.

_That’s good, I don’t know exactly what these powers are but if they can make me agree to kiss one of them, that could be a bit concerning._

“It’s called enthrallment.” She heard him say. “James, my eldest brother mentioned we consume and use sexual energy to survive?” Mercy nodded, thankful for the elaboration. “Well, we use enthrallment as a method of… getting energy. It makes things easier for us and more pleasant for those under it.” He said hesitantly.

At this point, Mercy was a little confused about how he knew her unspoken question. The moment she thought this, he responded.

“Sometimes, we incubi also have other magical abilities. The reason I knew your question is because I can read minds. I can’t exactly help it or turn it off, it’s an ability I was born with. Each of us has another ability aside from our mind-altering powers.”

 _Huh…_ Mercy couldn’t even bring herself to question it at this point. She thought back to how drained she felt.

“That would be because my brothers and I took a little energy from you.” At Mercy’s alarmed look he raised his hands as if showing his innocence and quickly spoke again. “Nothing major, just enough to heal. I’m sorry we didn’t ask you, but we did only touch your hand to do so. It’s less efficient, but it still works. Again, I am very sorry about that.”

His face resembled a kicked puppy. Mercy couldn’t let that stand.

 _Just enough to heal huh, and just by touching my hand? I guess I can be okay with that. No harm no foul, I guess._ She thought, intending for Damien to hear, both as a bit of a test and for fun.

Damien let out the breath he had been holding and looked as though a small weight had been lifted from his chest.

“Thank you…” He said softly. “You’ve been out for a few hours, it’s already gotten quite dark outside.” He let out a small laugh.

“Where are the others?” Mercy questioned.

“My brothers are downstairs, cleaning up...” He hesitated, remembering the girl’s reaction to the blood, “our mess. They are also making you dinner as an apology.”

_How unexpectedly sweet._

“It’s the least we can do, after invading your home and one of us using our powers on you.” Mercy smiled up at Damien, who was a little startled to see her happy like this after the ordeal she had been through. Little did he know, this was only another bump in the emotional roller coaster that had been the last couple of days, and Mercy had gotten very good at faking smiles. However, this one was at least a little genuine.

He could see her moving to get out of bed again.

“Do you think you’re well enough to get out of bed yet?” Damien stood back a little at watched her attempt, ready to catch her if she fell.

“Yeah, I should be fi-“ Mercy’s legs gave out under her weight once more, and she was surprised to have been caught and then held bridal style by Damien. He searched her face for any hint of pain, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the gauze bandage, but ultimately saying nothing.

“Trust me, I won’t let you go.” He reassured.

Mercy could only blush at her failed attempt to stand and the fact that the very good-looking man she had just met was carrying her.

“Are you sure you’re okay with carrying me like this?”

Damien looked into her eyes and conveyed sincerity with his words.

“I promise. I said I wouldn’t let you go. Let me do this for you.”

“Alright…” Mercy nervously replied.

“Good.”

At this, Damien started walking towards the door, carrying Mercy.

The trip downstairs was mostly silent, although Mercy did take note that her bags were in the room she woke up in, what she assumed had been her grandfather’s room, what with the large size of it.

She had also been surprised at how he was carrying her as though she weighed nothing. She was pretty small, but she still was a whole person to carry. When bringing this to her thoughts, she could feel Damien’s chest rumble as he quietly laughed.

“Thank you.” Mercy turned as red as a tomato.

 _Shit, I already forgot._ She thought, embarrassed.

“It’s alright, I’m used to it.”

The rest of the walk was silent until they reached the bottom of the stairs and the foyer she had been in a few hours prior. The floor was shining, not a drop of red to be seen.

_Thank god._

She looked up at Damien.

“I think I want to try to walk on my own again, not that I don’t appreciate being carried.” She blushed once more.

Damien simply nodded and slowly set her down. Though still a bit shaky, Mercy stood up on her own.

After ensuring that she would be fine on her own, Damien left to help in the dining room. Almost immediately after Damien was out of sight, another brother popped up into view.

“Oh, hi!”

_Blue eyes and dark hair… I think this one was Matthew..._

“You’re Matthew, right?” Mercy questioned.

“Yup, that’s me!” Mathew smiled. “Are you feeling better? We all got super worried when you passed out like that…” Mercy thought back to the overwhelming spiral of emotion and thoughts that lead to her collapse, and immediately pushed the thoughts back out of her mind as she remembered what happened yesterday.

She didn’t think she could handle thinking about that right now. One thing at a time.

“Yeah, I think I’m fine. I’m sorry if I startled any of you with that.” Mercy put on a smile.

“It’s no problem. If anything, I’m sorry that we kinda showed up out of nowhere and scared you like that…” Matthew turned his head away for a moment before looking back at her. “Anyway, I hope Sam didn’t make you too upset, I think he sometimes forgets that rules are different here and he can’t just go and enthrall the first person he sees.”

_The rules are different… here? I wonder where they’re from if Sam isn’t used to that…_

“Oh! I think I have something that might cheer you up!”

Mercy looked up at him confused as he smiled and put his hands in his pockets.

They both waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Until out of thin air, out popped a strange, fluffy, bunny-squirrel creature?

 _What is that thing?_ Mercy tilted her head to the side. _It is really cute though…_

Both Matthew and Mercy looked at it in confusion.

“That…” He pointed at his creation, “Is not what I intended to make. I don’t even know what that is! At least it’s not scary…” He sighed dramatically. “Aw, man! All I wanted was to make you something cute like a stuffed animal, something recognizable at least! It doesn’t even look like any animal I know!”

Mercy giggled and grabbed it out of his hands. She was a sucker for stuffed animals and soft things.

“It’s really cute, thank you Matthew!” She excitedly burst out.

Matthew looked at her for a moment and then laughed.

“Well, at least you’re smiling. I’m glad you like it. Anyway, dinner should almost be ready and I don’t mean to brag, but I think we’re pretty good chefs. Let’s head to the dining room.” Mercy nodded, set the stuffed animal off to the side where she could retrieve it later and followed him to the dining room that she had been in numerous times during her childhood.

 _I suppose the stuffed animal-creature-thing is making me a bit nostalgic._ She looked up at the ceiling while she followed Matthew. _Man, if grandpa was here to see this. He always did like outlandish adventures…_ she mused. _Magic, enthrallment, and incubi, oh my._ A smile escaped her at the joke.

The dining room hadn’t really changed much since the last time she had seen it. The same curtains adorned the windows, and the furniture was all the same. The only difference was the bustling sound of multiple cooks in the kitchen, which she smiled sadly at. It had been a long time since that room had seen more than one occupant.

Memories of years past when she was still allowed to visit her grandfather flooded her memory. All of them happy. It was when they finally stopped walking that she came back to reality.

Something definitely smelled good. Very good.

“Oh. The girl’s awake.” She heard this from her left. It was Sam.

She wanted to get mad, to get frustrated and yell at him for what he almost did. For not even bothering to use her name. But she knew better. She didn’t really know these people, as nice as Matthew and Damien were, she doesn’t know what could happen if she made them mad. They could all be nice, they could be as kind as Suzu and Naomi for all she knew, but they could also be the opposite.

She shivered for a moment at memories of past punishments she had gotten from her father and was quick to temper her anger… and her thoughts, just in case.

“Yes, I am awake.” She voiced at Sam.

Before Sam could retort, James’ head popped out from the kitchen.

“Sam, I will roast your tongue for dinner if it doesn’t stop flapping in that idiotic mouth of yours.” Mercy had to giggle at that.

“Psh, whatever.” That was all James got in response.

James’ attention then turned from his brother to the human in the room.

“I apologize for his attitude.” James held his hand to his forehead in what seemed like a frustration experienced many times. He gave an exasperated glance towards his more unruly brother.

“It’s alright.” Mercy softly spoke.

“Heh, good.” James smiled. “I hope you’ll enjoy the meal we prepared for you.”

Mercy was quick to speak this time.

“I’m sure I will, thank you. But you really didn’t have to do this!” She squeaked out.

James looked down at her.

“We insist, miss. Plus, I’m quite sure it’s impossible to ‘undo’ our cooking, even if you commanded us to.” His voice held a playful tone that made Mercy smile even after the memories Sam’s previous actions had inadvertently brought up.

“Okay then, well, thank you.” Mercy then watched as Matthew and Eric brought in dish after dish of various cuisines. Mercy was shocked.

 _How in the hell do incubi learn to cook foreign cuisine so well?_ She was so surprised she let one of her thoughts slip out of her mouth.

“Wow…”

The incubi, all of whom were now present, grinned, glad to see their host happy with the dinner they made. Seeing the face of wonder on Mercy’s face, Eric sauntered over to her and, leaning closer to her, spoke.

“We hope you enjoy it, my sweet.” Mercy blushed once more. _Sweet? Me?_

“Eric, knock it off.”

“Fine, you’re no fun, James.”

“I don’t need to be fun, Eric.” Turning to Mercy, he waved Eric off.

“Miss, please follow me.”

Taking James’ offered arm, he led her to her seat, conversing along the way. To Mercy, James seemed nice, but he did seem like the leader of the lot. Like the one who keeps the rest in line. That idea did frighten her a bit.

“Miss, I do have to ask, why do you live alone?” James looked down at her with kind, but perceptive eyes.

“Well,” Mercy stumbled over her words for a moment. “I just moved here today; I was… willed this estate.” The unspoken meaning of that statement was immediately understood by James. Mercy felt compelled to continue, to explain further. “This was my grandfather’s estate. It has been a long time since I’ve been here, I haven’t even explored it all.” She smiled through the pain of remembering her loss.

James’ brows furrowed.

“May I ask why you now live in your grandfather’s house?”

Mercy took in a breath and slowly let it out. At this point, both of them were standing at the side of the room, chatting as the final setup was being done for dinner.

“It was willed to me yesterday. I was…” She struggled to find words that wouldn’t paint her father in a bad light. “highly encouraged to live here alone. For independence purposes.”

James’ eyes roamed her face for even the smallest expression of emotion.

“My condolences.” James seemed to hesitate for a moment. “Miss, I did want to bring this up, I apologize if this is inconvenient timing. I noticed the bandage on your cheek. Are you alright?”

_Damn, I had hoped no one would bring it up._

She panicked for a moment until she remembered her excuse from last night, when she had told Suzu and Naomi.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” She put on her most convincing embarrassed face. “When I found out about… this…” She motioned to the house, “yesterday and my grandfather’s passing I ah… fell and hit my head. I’m fine though, thank you for asking.”

James’ eyes narrowed imperceptibly as he looked at the gauze bandage, just barely noticing the edges of a dark bruise underneath. He knew she was lying. He ran her statements over in her head once more, and then smiled at her.

“Well, if you need help dressing the wound, ask any of us, we will be happy to assist you.” He watched as she seemed to let out a breath she had been holding. Unbeknownst to her, he threw a look at Damien, who widened his eyes and gave a small nod. Both knew that there would have to be a later discussion on the topic.

Eric then pulled out Mercy’s seat for her.

“Let me get your chair for you, lovely lady.” Mercy blushed once more, not used to being called such things.

“Thank you, Eric.” Eric just smiled at her.

“Anything for you, lovely lady.”

With everyone sat down, dinner started. The food truly was delicious. Conversations and very mild arguments on who had actually made the dishes broke out, but Mercy smiled and allowed herself to forget for a few minutes. Forget the strife of the last few days, and just enjoy sitting down and eating a meal with company. Something she doesn’t often get to do at home. In the case that she ever did have a typical family dinner, it was not pleasant. Mercy laughed along at the brotherly arguments and basked in the domestic-ness of it.

Mercy let her questions about the incubi family sit aside as long as she could, until there was a gap in conversation and her curiosity and concern couldn’t take it anymore.

“Sorry, excuse me?”

They all looked at her.

Having all of their eyes on her at once was intimidating, but she metaphorically gritted her teeth and bared it. She had to ask.

“I appreciate the food, and you have been very kind to me so far, but I am still a little confused as to how you all ended up here…” She trailed off.

They looked at each other.

“Yeah, how do we explain that?” Matthew spoke first. Sam looked at her sharply from across the table.

“We were attacked, we came here to heal. What is so hard to understand?”

“Now you’re just being rude Sam.” Eric spoke up from the seat beside her.

Mercy looked down for a moment, avoiding their eyes, then continued.

“I understand that part, Sam. What I don’t understand is why you were attacked. I’m talking more specifically about who attacked you and why….”

James was the one to answer.

“We have been traveling around for quite some time now, we just recently came to this town. When we got here, were jumped by this band of… misfits.”

_Misfits? I wonder what he means by that… Does he mean other non-humans?_

“We came here to escape and heal, and you know the rest. Again, I apologize for the mess we made.”

 _He shouldn’t have to apologize for bleeding out onto the floor, it’s not like they choose to do it. It’s nice enough that they cleaned it all up._ Mercy thought.

”You don’t have to apologize for bleeding, I am thankful that the blood is gone though.” Mercy let out a strained laugh. “So,” She looked up to see she still had their rapt attention, “what are you going to do now? Will those ‘misfits’ still be after you?”

James thought for a second.

“That is a good question. We just got here, and we’ll surely be hunted if we leave.”

_Hunted? That’s not good._

A small argument broke out between Sam and Eric over whether or not they could take their adversaries out. Mercy watched, and as she did, she felt as though she couldn’t just have them leave to be hunted. She may not know them well but they were kind. Even Sam, who was a bit brash and not the nicest to her, reminded her a bit of how Suzu had acted before they became friends. Defensive around new people and working more with her fists than any diplomatic skills. She didn’t want them hurt.

_The house is certainly big enough, it is plausible…_

She had decided. Now she just needed their attention.

“Um, guys…” She tried to speak up. Even through Sam and Eric’s argument, they all heard her and went silent.

“What is it, lovely lady?”

“Spit it out already!”

She steeled herself.

“You can stay here if you’d like…”

She got silence in return. The whole room had gone quiet. Even Damien, who could quite literally read thoughts, had not expected her to offer up her home to them.

Mercy nervously continued.

“Well, it’s just that... I just moved here anyway, and if you need a place to stay there are plenty of extra rooms… “

Nobody responded yet, so she went on.

“Though if you did accept, I may ask your help with some things…”

James’ response broke the silence.

“Yes?” It sounded hopeful, but it was also an unspoken question asking for specifics.

“Well, I mean, if you stay here, please don’t use your powers or do something that could harm myself or any guest, except if they are dangerous, like the guys who you fought. Obviously though, if it’s needed otherwise it’s not like I can, or am going to stop you…”

Damien spoke next, his voice soft.

“That sounds reasonable.”

This spurred Mercy onwards to her second point.

“Also… the house is kind of big and I’m just one person so if you could, I would appreciate some help around the house, especially when it comes to things on high shelves.” She attempted to lighten the mood with her last line.

“That is very generous miss, are you sure that would be okay? We don’t want to burden you any more than we already have.” James had a serious but thoughtful look on his face.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

And that was when Eric jumped in.

“What a wonderful idea! We will live here and train as we help with the house! Servants for the lovely princess!”

At this Mercy blanched. She started to wave her hands around frantically.

“No, no that’s not what I meant! I just mean like, don’t make a huge mess, not that I think you would, and pick up after yourself. Normal courtesy stuff!” Her thoughts raced, she desperately hoped she hadn’t given them that impression. “Also, you don’t have to call me that! Mercy is just fine.” She said this part vehemently.

_Princess sounds a little too similar to heiress for me to be comfortable being called that anyway…_

Seeing her panic and seriousness, Eric quickly revised his statement.

“Alright, lovely lady, not princess then. I can’t promise you that first bit though!” He said playfully. “After all, if our lovely lady is offering us a place to stay, it’s only fair that we help take care of her, and the house of course!”

Sam had looked ready to burst before Mercy rushed in correcting Eric. As it was, he was calmer when he stated that they should only stay until they beat the ‘misfits’.

The incubi all nodded and agreed, even though Mercy meant her invitation to have no distinct ending.

With the serious conversation finished, the teasing resumed, as did the laughter. Mercy watched and smiled at the liveliness. There was one point where she had looked at Damien, who seemed nervous, but he insisted he was fine and that it was nothing. Despite this, she was laughing. For once, she was home and she was happy. She wasn’t even thinking about her father, the injury on her cheek, her grandfather’s death, or how she had been forced to move here. She wasn’t even overly concerned about the existence of incubi and the implications of their existence.

She may have even made new friends.

And then her phone rang.

It was her mother.

I suppose all good things have to end sometime.


	5. A Return to Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy talks to her mother, and finds out that the Incubi might just be nicer than she thought. The Incubi however, grow more and more worried about their generous host.

Mercy jumped a little when she heard her phone go off. It was the sound of someone calling her.

And then she saw **who** was calling her.

She froze and quickly excused herself. She didn’t want to be rude and talk on the phone at the table, but she also really didn’t want her maybe-new friends to hear whatever her mother was going to say to her. 

“I’m sorry, but I have to take this call…” Mercy reluctantly got up and left the dining room, walking until she reached the entrance hall where she was sure none of them could hear her. As soon as she got far enough away, her face dropped from the friendly-yet-nervous smile she wore around the boys to a blank face with dead eyes.

She tried to prepare herself for whatever was coming.

She picked up the call.

“Hello, mother.”

Her mother started speaking immediately, ignoring her.

“Mercy, your father informed me that you will be staying at the estate permanently. As such, we will be converting your room to another office for him. You know his work is important.”

Her mother’s voice sounded irritated, as though being obligated to inform her of this annoyed her to no end. It sounded as though she would rather be doing anything than speaking to her own daughter.

Mercy wanted to interject, but-

“Also, your grandfather’s lawyer called wanting to speak with you. We have told him of your address change, but don’t expect us to deal with your problems again, you hear me? You are an adult, and we are nice and accommodating enough to you as it is.”

_Of course, I don’t know why I didn’t expect this. I’m only ever a burden to them. They make very sure that I know that…_

“Yes, mother. I understand.”

“Also,” Her mother blasted through her statement as if she hadn’t even heard it, “You will be having a house party tomorrow night at the estate. For the family business. Don’t disappoint.”

She hung up.

Mercy hung her head, her hair draped over her eyes, hiding her expression.

_I can never get a damn word in, can I? A house party for business executives? How am I even going to manage that? It’s so soon after… everything that’s happened. If too much more happens I’m not sure if I will be able to manage it all._

A tear fell from her eye and she carefully wiped it away, avoiding the bandage as best as she could. As soon as she was sure she was calm, collected, and her face didn’t show her tears, she started her walk back.

As soon as she walked back into the dining room, she could see that most of the boys appeared to be in deep conversation. As soon as they noticed her, however, that conversation stopped. They all turned to look at her.

“Well, lovely lady, is anything the matter?”

Eric’s question surprised her a bit. She thought back to the party she now had to plan.

“Not much, it was just my mother calling.” She did her best to stay vague. She didn’t want to bother any of them with her problems, especially with people after them and the fight they just got out of. Her petty issues would probably only annoy them.

Damien stared at her for a moment with uncharacteristically sharp eyes and then decided to speak up.

“She has to plan a house party for her parents tomorrow night.”

_Huh? Oh yeah, the mindreading thing. Damn, how much did he hear?_

She avoided eye contact; she didn’t want to reveal much else. The only thing she could do was agree with Damien and explain a bit more, especially since they agreed to live here. They deserved to know that there would be an event at the estate.

“Yeah…” She trailed off. “It’s for the family business. It will mostly be for the business executives my father wants to make a good impression on. I’m sorry, you guys just got here and decided to stay and there will already be a big event going on. I’ll try and make it as unobtrusive as possible…” Her smile turned a bit sad, and all of them could see.

Damien could sense the invisible weight on her shoulders, with everything he heard her think already, and they had only known her for a few hours.

James had a hunch that the depth of the issues their host had to deal with went much, much farther than she unknowingly showed. He could already see some similarities to their own situation back in the Abyssal Plains.

Sam, although hesitant to stay with this random human they came across, had already noticed the bruise. He also knew that if there was one, there were probably more. Even if he agreed to stay for his brothers’ safety, he knew that it was only fair that he also help the human girl out, since she was helping them. He had also seen far too many people with those bruises back home to just let it go. Even if she was human.

The other two, however, were simply concerned for her. Though they knew something was off with their host, they didn’t want to make assumptions. They didn’t know her, but already she was so kind as to offer them a place to stay, and she believed them when they said they were incubi. They decided they wanted to help her in whatever way they could.

All of them made up their minds, in one way or another.

Mathew was the first to respond.

“Hey, why don’t we help you! It’s the least we could do. After all, you are letting us stay and train here.” His cheerful voice caught her attention.

_He wants to… help me? With a business party?_

“Ar- are you sure? You don’t have to…”

Rather than Matthew, James responded.

“I don’t see why not.”

_They are really okay with this…?_

Damien and Eric both nodded in agreement with Matthew and James. Looking around, she could even see Sam crossing his arms, and begrudgingly grumbling out a ‘fine’.

Mercy was very surprised. They didn’t even know her! No one, aside from Suzu and Naomi, had offered to help her fulfill her father’s wishes like this before. She stood in front of the table, gaping at all of them. And in a comforting voice, as if she was a cornered animal, James reassured her.

“Don’t worry miss, we can handle this. You don’t have to worry about anything. Just leave it to us.”

“But-but you shouldn’t have to deal with my- “

A strong hand landed on her shoulder. Strangely, she wasn’t frightened by it. She felt oddly calm for a moment. She looked up and saw green eyes. It was Sam.

“Just shut up and let us help already.”

He took his hand off her shoulder and went back to sitting down. The calm feeling was gone. For a split second, she missed it.

_It’s still not fair for them to have to-_

Damien stood and walked up to her. His purple eyes met hers and he spoke, interrupting her thoughts.

“It’s alright, we insist. We want to help.”

She had to think that over for a second.

Mercy looked up at Damien, awe, regret, and a little fear in her eyes.

“Alright… I still don’t think you should have to help me. I would try to change your minds but…I guess I can’t stop you…”

Damien chuckled.

“That you cannot.”

Mercy’s mind went blank for a moment, processing what had just happened until she realized that the others had all stood up and were cleaning up dinner.

She suddenly felt heavy and tired. The events of today, much like those of the day before, all crashed down on her at once. However, she still moved to go and help with the dishes and cleanup. Damien moved to block her.

“Don’t worry about that either. You seem tired, perhaps you should head up to bed?”

_But I should still help…They made dinner after all, I should still help…_

The sudden feeling of tiredness and sleep creeping up on her made her not care that she hadn’t responded aloud.

She could see him smiling down at her.

_Even his smile is pretty._

“Let’s get you to bed…”

He held out his arm to her, and her suddenly sleepy mind agreed. One thing stuck out to her though, despite her state.

“Wait a minute,” She removed her arm from his, “Do you guys know where the guest bedrooms are?”

Damien just smiled and nodded.

“We found them while you were still asleep, there’s no need to worry. Come on…” He led her back up to her new bedroom. Half asleep, Mercy simply followed, grabbing the strange stuffed creature she was given by Matthew along the way.

Once they reached the door, Damien stopped, a serious look on his face. He turned towards her, looking as though he wanted to say something, but was holding back. Mercy suddenly wished she could read his mind like he does everyone else’s.

He looked back up at her, eyes softening, and spoke.

“I know we just met and this has to have been a bit crazy for you, especially with the last few days you have had.”

Again, she was reminded of his mind-reading abilities.

 _That should probably bother me more than it does. I guess it’s not like he can help it._ Damien looked down at her for a moment, smiled sadly, and continued.

“But, if you need help with anything, or just want to talk, you can talk to any one of us. I just wanted you to know that. You’ve been so kind to us so far, and we broke into your house and told you demons exist!” His voice and the emotion in it raised a little at the mention of them breaking in and revealing who they were. He stopped and took in a deep breath, visibly trying to calm down.

“I suppose what I’m trying to say right now is… if you are comfortable, you should tell us if anything is wrong. I know I’m not the only one who isn’t fooled by that bandage and the way you’ve acted so far. And that’s not just because I can hear your thoughts…”

_Can I? Can I actually trust them with this? It’s not like it’s something that can just be fixed… Even though I know Suzu and Naomi know more than they should, I still don’t outright tell them everything and they are my closest friends!_

“You don’t have to make a decision now. Just think about it. Have a good night’s sleep, miss.”

“Mercy.” She interjected. “Just call me Mercy. We’re going to be living together, and miss seems so formal. I don’t know if I can get James to stop calling me that but I can try with you.” She tried to crack a joke, only to yawn immediately after.

“Good night, Mercy.” He looked down at her and for a moment, she thought she saw something like awe in his gaze.

Damien headed back downstairs to help the others. She watched as he walked away, and then walked into her bedroom.

_Formally her grandfather’s room._

She shook her tired head and tried not to think about it.

Looking around, she saw that she hadn’t been able to unpack yet. But she was just so tired that it would have to wait. Collapsing on the bed, she opened up her phone, realizing she hadn’t talked to Suzu and Naomi about the move yet.

_They’re probably worried._

Too tired to even bother thinking about texting, she just called both of them.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

“MERCY! You haven’t talked to us all day! How dare you!” Suzu yelled out. “You’ve gotta tell us what’s going on! How is it? Are you okay?” Mercy giggled a little at Suzu’s antics, still extremely tired.

“I’m okay guys, the house is huge. It’s just a lot. I’m gonna keep this short though so I don’t fall asleep on either of you.”

“Of course, Mercy. And Suzu, it hasn’t been all day, just since school ended. Seriously though, how are you?” Naomi questioned. Somehow, she always knew when Mercy was in distress.

Mercy thought about it and decided to tell a little more of the truth than she usually would, probably because of the tiredness.

“S’alright so far.” She slurred her words a little, trying her best to stay awake. “Dad dropped me off but left right after. Oh, and I’ve gotta make a party for business people tomorrow for dad…” She started to incoherently mumble. “-sucks but they’re helping.”

Naomi, already suspicious, started her subtle interrogation.

“Who’s helping, Mercy? What are you talking about?”

Mercy panicked.

“The house party is tomorrow night. They’re helping me. They’re really nice Naomi you’ll probably meet them later. I think I made some friends…” She sleepily blinked, trying to stay awake.

Hearing this, Suzu jumped in.

“Alright, Mercy we’ll leave the interrogation for when you’re more awake, but expect us to come to that party okay? You can’t stop us this time. And expect us to interrogate these new ‘friends’ of yours. They’ve gotta pass the Suzu test!”

“Alright Suzu… don’t kill ‘em… gotta go… ‘m tired. Night...”

“Goodnight, Mercy.”

“Yeah, Night Merce!”

And she was out like a light.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Downstairs, five incubi sat at the cleared dining room table and continued their conversation. One that had nearly been caught when Mercy had walked back into the room from her phone call.

All of them spoke softly, even Sam. They took care not to make too much noise, even if Damien had assured them that Mercy was asleep.

“I’m just saying. I know she’s being nice and all, letting us stay, but obviously she’s keeping secrets! How do we know she won’t out us to that bastard Devil? Or even people back home?”

“Because she didn’t even know incubi existed, Sam” Eric gave Sam a pointed look and held his hand to his head in mild frustration. “We know she isn’t telling us everything. She doesn’t have to. She doesn’t even know us! Plus, the least we could do for the kindness she’s shown us is help her out a little, whether it be house chores or keeping away whoever or whatever caused that injury on her cheek.”

Sam sighed, shook his head, and spoke calmly.

“I just want us to be careful, to not reveal everything about us too quickly. We don’t know how long it will take to find and beat that Devil bastard. I know she didn’t put a timeline on the invitation to stay but we should still be careful around her. If she really didn’t know about Incubi she might freak out if she learns too much too quickly. Plus, didn’t her grandfather die yesterday or something? She’s probably on edge as it is!”

James looked at Sam with a critical eye.

“I do have to agree with Sam on this point. If she asks, we can tell her, but otherwise it might be best to keep things on the down-low for now. That means no excessive use of magic or abilities, especially in front of our host. Does everyone agree?”

Nods and voiced agreements came from the other four at the table. After a few moments of silence, Matthew spoke up.

“We are going to need some sort of excuse to be here, right? After all, it probably isn’t normal for a girl who just moved into this house to be living with five guys. And we will be helping with the party, so…?”

“I have already thought of that.” James responded. “The best option is to say that we are servants her grandfather hired to help with the house. That service, if he paid in advance, would also extend to his granddaughter.”

Eric chuckled.

“So, I suppose I was right. Servants for the lovely lady.”

“I don’t like it, but it’s the best thing we got, right?” At this, Sam looked at James, serious.

“Yes, any other explanation either has too many holes in it or isn’t realistic. One rather old gentleman would not be able to keep this house clean on his own, so it is likely that he had servants or maids at some point. Obviously, they are no longer working here, so we shall act as though we were instructed and paid by him to continue our work and take care of his granddaughter, should she be sent to live here.”

“Alright then!” Eric clapped and smiled, but only for a moment. “Now that that is figured out, I think we should again discuss the circumstances of our host.”

“Uhh,” Matthew spoke in a reluctant tone. “Should we really be doing this? I mean, I would love to help her because she is obviously in some distress and she’s got that injury on her cheek, but again, she doesn’t know us? Isn’t that like, an invasion of privacy or something?”

Matthew was surprised when Sam was the one to respond to him. The one out of them who was the least friendly towards Mercy.

“Yeah, it is. At least a little bit, but bruises like that, especially on faces, don’t just pop up outta nowhere- “

Matthew looked confused and interjected while his brother spoke.

“Bruises? I didn’t see a bruise. I thought it was just a cut or a scrape? Even if it might have been caused by someone…” His voice got quieter and a little sad as he contemplated the idea that Mercy, someone they had known for only a few hours, could have been hurt on purpose.

“Then you weren’t looking close enough, Matthew.”

The room was quiet as Sam continued.

“It’s a pretty bad one too. I don’t doubt that there is also a cut or something else there. If there wasn’t, she might have covered it with makeup. You don’t just hit your head like that and get a bruise that size in that spot. Usually, you hit the back of your head or your nose first if it’s accidental. This is on her cheek, man. When do you ever hit your cheek hard enough to bruise and cut, accidentally? Especially if the gauze she put on is about the size of a fist. If a fist was square, I mean…”

Matthew’s eyes widened and he let out an audible gasp as he took in what Sam was saying.

“Okay. Okay then, definitely not accidental. How do we know it wasn’t just a one-time thing then?”

James spoke up.

“If it were a one-time thing, whether it be bullying or an attack of some sort, she could have gotten the police or someone else involved and had a professional attend to her wounds. It’s quite obvious she put that gauze on herself, even if she did a decent job. Plus, with the way she acted when her mother called? It calls into question her family life. Especially since they sent her here only a day after her grandfather’s death. That shows little regard for her mental health.”

Throughout this conversation, Damien had watched and listened to what his brothers thought about her. Nodding along and agreeing when appropriate. He had a lot to think about.

James’ next move was to question Damien about whether he had heard any more from her thoughts.

“Damien, what do you think is going on? Have you heard anything concerning?”

They could all see his eyes sharpen and his shoulders tensing.

“Yes. She…” He trailed off, not knowing where to start. “She does seem a bit… anxious overall. She worries a lot in general, it seems. She also seems strangely astute. She already suspects we are not from here, just from her short conversation with Matthew.”

This earned him some shocked looks. Damien continued talking about what he had heard from Mercy.

“She is still obviously mourning the loss of her grandfather, and being here reminds her of him. She also… is a little worried about us. Specifically, she is worried about what will happen if she makes us mad. For all she knows we could be as nice and friendly as her friends, or the exact opposite.”

Damien started to shake, and he had to push down memories of his own past to say the next part.

“Worrying about that, right around the time she walked in for dinner and saw all of us, made her think about punishments she received from her father.” He clenched his fists.

“I don’t know what kind of punishments, for what offense, and to what extent, but that was the reason she didn’t get visibly mad at you for what you did Sam. She was afraid. Not specifically of you, but because of previous experience and our attitudes and tempers being unknown to her.”

Sam’s face fell but Damien continued.

“I didn’t get much after that, she made sure to reign in her thoughts, but I did hear a few things. She had hoped no one would bring up the bandage and had to remind herself of what she told her friends about the cause the previous day. She was also really worried she had offended us when Eric said ‘servants for the lovely princess’. She had a hard time with the ‘princess’ bit in particular because she thought it sounded a little too much like ‘heiress’, so there may be something else there.”

At this James hummed and appeared deep in thought. The rest just watched as Damien unloaded all of this information on them.

“When her mother called, she thought about how she was only a burden to them, and how if much more happens to her, she may not be able to handle it. When she came back and we offered to help with the party, it seemed as though no one had ever offered to help her ‘fulfill her father’s wishes’ or so she put it. Lastly, after I took her back upstairs, and you already heard what I said to her, she thought about how she had never even told her friends the whole truth, how it was something that couldn’t be fixed right away. She was wondering if she could trust us with it.”

All five Incubi sat in silence until Sam ran his hand through his hair and spoke.

“Well, shit”

Damien just stared at him.

“Yeah. Pretty much.”

James, who had finished thinking, finally stood and addressed his four siblings.

“I’ve decided. Let’s help where we can. We can do our best to distance her from her family when they arrive at the party. The rest will take time, and we will need to show her that we will not lash out at her if we are mad or frustrated.” He took a second, sighed, and ran his hand through his hair, showcasing just how much this bothered him.

“Let’s just… try not to stress her out more for now, and be kind to her. We can talk to her about this later if she is comfortable. Damien has already extended the invitation to talk with any one of us. We just have to help as best as we can until then.”

The rest of the Incubi agreed.


End file.
